Sand trap for oil-well pumps



S. W. BATENIAN. S-AND TRAP FOR OIL WELL PUMPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1922.

Patented Sept .3 wuwto'z Sam.. M Bjaema IIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIF PatentedSept. 26, 1922.

SAMUEL W. BATEMAN, OF DORADO, ARKANSAS.

SAND 'naar ron OIL-WELL PUMPS.

Appnation ined April 7, 19,22. senal No. 550,553.

To all @07mm z'zfmay concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. BATEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at El Dorado, in the county of Union and State of Arkansas,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Sand Trap forOil-Well Pumps, of which the following is 'thev specification.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in anoil well pump structure and relates more particularly to a sand trap forthe oil pump. The invention has for an object the provision of a sandtrap which may be incorporated in an oil pump structure of con`ventional form without material alterations thereof and yet which willserve to arrest movement of the sandy and other foreign matter with t-heoil fluid 'being extracted from the well.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a sand trapof the character stated which willfbe of simple and efficientconstruction andoperation and which will permit the arrested sand andother for eign matter to be effectually separated from the fluid on theupward stroke of the pump sucker rod and will then pass downwardly bygravitation and return to the wellon the downward or return stroke ofthepump sucker rod.

` The invention has for a further object the provision of a sand trap ofthe character stated which may be included in pipe sections connectingwith the pump sucker rod pipe and .depending therefrom, all of thesepipes being inclosed in'` the pump casingv and suitably spaced from theinner 'wall thereof.

Al still further object of the invention resides in the provision of asand trap or separator for an oil pump which will be con` structed andarranged" in such a manner as to prevent filling up or clogging the sameby the separated or arrested sand and other foreign matter, therebyeliminating the necessity of stopping operation ofthe pump frequently toremove the sand and other foreign matter from the trap.

The invention has for stillanother object the provision of' a sand trapor separator of the character stated which will be of simple andinexpensive construction, com` posed 'of the minimum number of parts andwhich will 'be automatic in its operation and which will effectivelyaccomplish the purpose forwhich itis intended.' i

lWith the foregoing andother objects in view, as will appear as thedescription pro-k ceeds, the invention consistsv in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of cci-operating elements ashereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of the present application and inwhich r- Fig. l is a vertical section through a por` tion of an oil pumpstructure with the improved sand trap or separator incorporated therein.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l on an enlarged scale and taken onlythrough the sand trap or separator structure and theportion of the wellcasing inclosing the same.

Referring more in detail to t-he drawings in which similar referencecharacters designate s corresponding parts throughout the several views,l indicates the well casing, 2 the pump sucker rod working in the pumppipe or barrel 3 andhaving the suckerrod valve structure 4 ofconventional type on the lower end of the sucker rod 2. Itis to beunderstood that the pumppipe or sucker rod inclosing barrel 3 issuitably spaced from the inner vwall of the pump casing l, as shown inthe drawings. A second pump pipe or barrel 5 in alignment with the pipeor barrel 3 is positioned in the lower portion casing l and between thepipes 3 and 5 is lo` cated the sandtrap or separator structure, as willnow be described in detail.

The sand trap or separator structure includes an upper pipe section 6, alower pipe section 7 by a coupling 8 or the like, and a perforated pipe'section 9 depending from the lower pipe section 7 and connectedtherewith a coupling l0. The lower end of the perforated section 9 isconnected with the pump pipe or barrel 5 by a coupling l1.

A similar coupling l2 is employed to con-4 nect the upperend of theupper pipe section 6 with the pump pipe or barrel 3. It is also tobenoted that an outer perforated pipe section 13 is secured around andspaced from the perforated pipe section 9, the upper end of theperforated pipe section 13 being threaded on the coupling 10 whilethelower end of the perforated pipe section 13 is conltracted or reducedin diameter and threaded on vthe 'lower end portion of the perforated inthe upper end portion of the member 14E.

and has its bore correspond-ing to and registering with the central bore1'5 of "the member 14. A tube y17 has an enlarged lower end threaded onand i'nclosing jthe'upl standing portion of the sleeve 16. The centra'lbore of the tube 17 also corresponds to and registers with the boreofthe sleeve 16. valve seatlS is formed on the upper end of Ithe tu'bel7`and the ball valve 19 normally 'rests on Athe valve seat 18. An openvalve vcage 2O vis threaded on the upper end of fthe tube 17 to inclosethe 'ball valve and limit movement ofthe latter when oli' of the valveseat 18. It will be understood that all ofthe parts mounted on thedsleeve 16 are inclosed vin the upper pipe section 6, as shown in thedrawing.

Threaded-in the lower end ofthe .pipe section 7 is a 'funnel member 21having its central ypassage flared at its upper end.' as shown clearlyin Fig. 2 -to permit sand `and other foreign matter to readily enter themember 21 from above the same and pass downwardly through the sleeve 22and the sand return pipe y23 depending from the member 21 centrally inthe perforated vpipe section 9. The sleeve l22 is exteriorallythreadedand similarto the sleeve 16, .previously mentioned. The sleeve22 is threaded in 7the lower end ofthe member21 with its boreregistering with thecentral :bore said member 21. The sand return pipe23 'has its upper end slightly enlarged and threaded on the sleeve 22'asshown clearly in F ig. 2.

It is believed the complete construction'of the sandtrap or separator'may now be understood Ifrom the foregoing paragraph taken in Vconnectionwith t-he accompanying drawings. `It should also be 'evident to thosefamiliar ywith this art that as the .sucker rod 2 with its valvestructureel: is

reciprocatedpthe fluid from the well will be .drawn upwardly through.the pipe 'section or barrel 5, through the perforated pipe section 9,the pipe section 23 then through the pipe sections 7 and 6, by way ofthe members 21, 14 and 17 and the sleeves 22 and 16 and kfinally throughthe valve casing 2O into the pump pipe section or barrel 3, so that thefluid may be dra-wn upwardlyby the opera tion of the Sucker rod with`its valve structure a. During this upward `travelof the fluid7 the sandand other foreign matter is constantly thrown to the side or inner wallof the members through which the fluid is passing, thereby separatingthe sand and other foreign matter from the oil orlluid proper. its valvestructure l are returned or moved downiifardly, the vfs'e'paratedforeign matter will pass `downwardly through the tube 17, through `thesleeve 16 and the member 14 into the pipe sec-tion 7 of the sand trap orseparator. This foreign matter' together with all which had beenseparated from the fluid within the pipe section 7 will drop into themember 21 and pass through the same by way of the sleeve 22 into thesand return pipe 23 to again return to the well. It 'is also evidentthat the largest quantity of the sand and other foreign matter will beseparated from the fluid I while ,passing through the pipe section 7 ofthe sand trap or separator. It `is also evident that the portion'of 'thesand and other foreign matter will during the upward travel of the fluidbe thrown tothe inner wall of the perforated pipe section 9 and pass outof the same by way of perforations in the upper portion of the lpipesection 9 and then pass out of the .perforation in the lower portion ofthe outer perforated section 13 back into lthe well casing -1 and returnto 'the well. rThe quantity of fluid returning with the separated sandand other foreign matter to Lthe well willrbe small and will notAtherefore decrease the efficiency of the pump. .The separation of thesand and other foreign matter from the fluid before the same reaches thesucker rod valve structure will serveto considerably increase theefficiency of the pump and 'eliminate the necessity of constantlyremoving and cleaning or regrinding thisf valve structure and repairingother parts of the pump structure or emptying sand and other foreignmatter from l-the pump structure, as the separated foreign matter is not.permanently trapped or held in the (pump structure f but permitted toreturn to th'ewell as rapidly as it is separated from the Huid v-proper.It is believed that further detailed description ofthe operation ofthepump structure with the inc-losed sand trap or separator embodiedtherein is unnecessary. i

lVhile the preferred embodiment of the invention has been vshown and-described, it is to be yunderstood that minor lchanges -in the detailsof construction and arrangement of :parts may be resorted to within thescope of what is lclaimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What isclaim'ed is 1. A sand separator for apumpstructure comprising the`combination with separated section of the y'pump barrel, of connectedpipe sections between the sections of said barrel, a depending`frusto-conical member Then as the pump sucker rod 2 and within saidconnected pipe sections, a tube extended upwardly from said dependingtruste-conical member, a Valve mounted on said tube, a funnel membermounted in said connected pipe sections below said dependingrusto-conical member, a sand return pipe depending trom said funnelmember, and perforated pipe sections surrounding said depending sandreturn pipe.

2. A sand separator for a pump structure comprising the combination withseparated sections or' the pump barrel and the inclosing pump casing, ofpipe sections connected with one another and with the separated sectionsof the pump barrel to connect said sections of the pump barrel, an upperinverted frusto-conical member positioned in said connecting pipesections and having a central passage extending therethrough, a valvemounted on said member, a lower tunnel sand return member positioned insaid connecting pipe sections, a sand return pipe depending ,from saidlower funnel sand return member, and spaced perforated pipe sectionssurrounding said depending sand return pipe and having offsetperforations.

3. A sand separator for a pump structure comprising the combination withthe well casing, the connected pump pipe and barrel sections within saidwell casing and the pump sucker rod and valve structure within one ofthe barrel sections, of an upper sand separating member within one ofthe pipe sections below said sucker rod and Valve structure, a lowersand separating member within one of said pipe sections and including afunnel member and sand return pipe depending from said funnel member,means for connecting said sand return pipe with said funnel member, witha central bore communicating with and corresponding with the centralbore of the funnel member, and spaced inner and outer perforated pipesections aroundsaid sand return pipe, said perforated pipe sectionshaving series or periorations at their opposite ends and ofi"- set fromone another.

In testimony whereof, I affix my Signature.

SAMUEL W. BATEMAN.

